Why don't the domestic FFS & Abbey approach the Russian meat millionaire (sorry don't remember his name) living in ChCh to bankroll a Kiwi team in the W League. He has mooted supporting a ChCh A League bid before.
It’s a short summer league. All the players that are students would be on uni holidays, they could find some cheap accommodation in ChCh for a few mths (maybe they can all pitch tents on Big Pete's front lawn!), and our Russian friend has apparently has setup some great training facilities at Halswell.
Those in Auckland with jobs would either have to commute, make themselves unavailable or ask for a few mths off work.
Help appease all those people that criticise women’s program for being too Auckland centric.
Just an idea but I like it - just need to convince the Ruskie & FFA of course!!
ChCh is unlikely to get an A League side, so if the Ruskie wants to support a Trans Tasman team in ChCh a women’s side is probably his best beat.
Probably fanciful stuff, but crazier ideas have come to fruition.
Russian tycoon Slava Meyn doesn't seem to have ambitions in terms of women's football at this stage.
His Christchurch Football Academy in Yaldhurst is going great guns, hosting NZ's biggest annual international youth football tournament with teams from Australia and around the world.
He's concentrating on youth development and making club Christchurch United a major force again.
His coaching recruits for Chch Utd are over-kill in terms of what is required to get out of the second tier of Canterbury football and back into the Mainland Premier League, having recruited a top Brazilian coach in Fernando Lambert and as Technical Director, Dutch former Eredivisie player, Dutch FA Coaching Development Officer and until recently Technical Director of Al Arabi in Qatar, Pieter in ‘t Groen:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/sport/87534954/Ch...
https://www.nznewsuk.co.uk/living/?id=75358&story=...
Considering that NZ women's champions Mainland Pride attract crowds of about one hundred spectators here in Chch, it's unlikely even Slava Meyn would want to put money into a W-League team, even if crowds were boosted to 500 and the odd match got on the tele (he'd probably have to pay Sky for TV coverage).
My garden is fully taken up by a vege patch and one of the largest walnut trees in Canterbury.